


Oh, Those Summer Nights

by jumpinjazzcat



Category: Love Simon (2018), Simonverse | Creekwood Series - Becky Albertalli
Genre: M/M, WHY ARE THERE NOT MORE GARRETT/CAL FICS?, i love one (1) dumb jock and one (1) shy theater kid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28393686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jumpinjazzcat/pseuds/jumpinjazzcat
Summary: Cal and Garrett have a little fling over the summer, but it doesn't last. They still have feelings for each other, though. (Based off of Grease)
Relationships: Garrett Laughlin/Cal Price
Comments: 22
Kudos: 12





	1. Met a Boy, Cute As Can Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal and Garrett make plans to hang out, and Cal has to force himself not to fall in love with Garrett.

Every summer, Cal and his dad drive to Florida to spend a few weeks there. It’s always a shit ton of fun, the swimming, hanging out with Cal’s grandparents, eating popsicles, drinking lemonade, reading on the beach. Cal wonders if this year can compare to last year. Last year was fun because his friend Sasha tagged along, and they had a prank war with the kids in the beach house next door. Sneaking over to someone’s house at three in the morning to cover their house in toilet paper gives you this exhilarating feeling that not a lot of things can top. 

Cal’s dad stops the car in front of the beach house.

“We’re here, kiddo!” he says, grinning at Cal as he wakes up.

Cal rolls his eyes. He’s seventeen, about to go into his senior year, and his dad is still calling him “kiddo.” His dad is one of those dads that you see in Disney Channel Originals, all dad jokes and stupid nicknames. Cal pretends to be embarrassed by it, but he secretly loves it. He’d take his cheesy dad over his friend Taylor’s dad any day. Taylor’s parents are obsessed with her brother’s accomplishments. He was prom king, and valedictorian, and captain of the football team. Taylor is just as great, though. She’s in all of the AP art classes, and she stars in all of the school’s theater productions. Her parents don’t care, though. They think that theater is “a waste of time.” 

Cal’s very grateful that his parents love him as much as they do. He was worried that the divorce would make them emotionally unavailable, but if anything, it made his bond with his parents stronger. It is annoying to have to deal with them complaining about each other, though. For example: right now, as they’re unloading the car, Cal’s dad is complaining about how his ex-wife always hated the Florida trip.

“She was always griping about how it was too hot,” his dad says, “Hello? It’s  _ Florida _ , of course it’s hot.”

Cal rolls his eyes and carries a few bags inside. The beach house is really nice. It’s painted this really nice light blue color that Cal adores. It used to be his great-grandma’s house, in the sixties. It’s been renovated, like, once since then, so everything is still very much in the sixties aesthetic. Cal loves it. 

He walks back outside to bring in a few more bags, and notices a  _ very  _ cute boy walking down the street. He stares for a few seconds before realizing that the guy is Garrett Laughlin. He and Garrett don’t really exist in the same circles, but since Garrett’s best friend (Bram) is dating one of Cal’s best friends (Simon), they’re on friendly terms. Garrett notices Cal and his face lights up. He jogs over.

“Hey, Price!” he grins, “Need help taking those bags in?”

“That would be great,” Cal says, “Thanks, Garrett.”

“No problem. It sure is a small world, huh? I’m staying with my uncle for the summer,” he points at a red house a couple houses down, “So I guess you and I can hang out? If you want.”

Huh. 

Cal has noticed, in the past, that Garrett is always super friendly. He’s wondering if Garrett actually wants to hang out, or if he’s just asking to be nice.

_ Fuck it, _ he thinks,  _ I’m gonna ask him. _

“Do you actually want to hang out,” Cal asks, looking down at his shoes, “Or are you just being nice?”

Garrett laughs. “I want to hang out. I know we’re not really that close, but I think you’re pretty rad.”

_ Rad _ . Jesus, this boy is cute.

_ He is also very, very straight, _ Cal reminds himself, and makes a mental note to not let himself fall in love with Garrett.

* * *

The next day, at around nine in the morning, Cal wakes up to the sound of his dad talking to someone in the kitchen. He forces himself to get out of bed and heads downstairs. He’s surprised to see his dad sitting with Garrett at the kitchen table.

“Mornin’, buddy,” his dad says, “I saw Garrett takin’ a walk this mornin’, so I thought I’d invite him in for breakfast.”

“Oh, cool,” Cal says sleepily, “Mornin’, Garrett.”

Garrett smiles at him. “Hey, Cal. Do you want to go see a movie or something? I think the theater is doing a couple showings of some old 80’s movies later today. We can hang out on the boardwalk for a couple hours before the movie.”

Cal blinks. “Uh. Yeah, that’d be cool.”

“Wicked! Well, I’ll head back over to my uncle’s so I can change,” he says, gesturing down at his ratty old t-shirt and sweatpants, “And then you can call me when you’re ready to rock n’ roll? Here, lemme give you my number.”

He puts his number into Cal’s phone, and then he heads to the door to walk out. “Thanks for breakfast, Mr. Price.”

Cal’s dad smiles. “No problem. And please, call me Tom.”

Garrett waves and leaves, and Cal notices that he practically has to duck to get through the door. There have been butterflies in Cal’s stomach since he first came downstairs and saw Garrett, but they’re worse now that he knows how tall Garrett is. The guy’s gotta be, like, six foot three. Tall guys are Cal’s weakness. It also doesn’t help that Garrett has really gorgeous blue eyes and these perfect golden-blonde curls. He looks like a goddamn Greek god.

“He’s pretty handsome, huh?” Cal’s dad asks as Cal takes a sip of orange juice, and then when the question is asked, spits it out in surprise. 

Ever since Cal came out as bi, his dad has been super annoying about noticing when he has a crush. It’s infuriating.

“Dad. No. He is painfully straight.”

“I dunno, kid, the way that he looked at you seemed pretty...not straight to me. Plus, he went out of his way to plan a full day of things for y’all to do. It’s just a hunch, but I think he might have a lil crush on you.” Cal rolls his eyes, but in his head, he’s entertaining the idea. He wonders what it would be like to kiss Garrett.

He shakes his head, like it’s an Etch-a-Sketch and he can erase his thoughts with just a shake.

_ Do not fall in love with Garrett Laughlin _ , he tells himself.


	2. Summer Sun, Something's Begun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett starts catching feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one because I am lazy and also I just came up with the idea for this fic an hour ago so I'm speed-writing the chapters

“Okay, apparently they’re doing a showing of Grease tonight,” Garrett says as he and Cal walk down the boardwalk, “Which...I don’t know. I’ve seen Grease, like, once, when I was ten. My mom really liked it.”

“Liked? Past tense?”

“Oh. Uh. She’s, um...she died a couple years ago.”

Cal’s hand flies to his mouth. “Oh, shit, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s no big deal! I, uh. It’s nice to know that at least one person didn’t know all of the details. I feel like the whole school knows. I’m kinda sick of people feeling sorry for me, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get that. I don’t really hear about things around school, so.”

Garrett grins. “You and your little friend group stay in a little bubble, yeah. Brianna, Taylor, Claire, Sasha, and Cal, the inner circle. You guys are like, notorious for being tight-knit. Didja know that?”

Cal laughs. “Yeah, we’re a little clique-y. We’ve known each other forever, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get that,” Garrett nods, “It was hard for me and Bram to get close with Simon’s friends, on account of they’ve known each other forever.”

They talk a little while longer about their friends, sharing embarrassing stories and the like. It’s...really fun, actually.

Garrett finds himself becoming really invested in the conversation, which is not something very typical of him. His ADHD usually prevents him from staying on one topic, or not going off on a long-winded spiral about one little thing, but with Cal it’s different. Cal listens, and it’s...really cool.

Garrett briefly wonders what it would be like to kiss him.

And.

Well.

That’s...new. 

See, the thing is, Garrett has questioned his sexuality before. When Bram came out, Garrett wondered if he might be into guys too. But he’s never thought about guys the way he thinks about girls.

Except for Cal. Which is weird, because 1) they’re not friends, really and 2) they just started hanging out  _ today _ and Garrett is already thinking about kissing him. He pushes the thought down, planning to come back to it later.

They spend the next few hours at the arcade, and Cal gives Garrett the t-rex plushie he won from the claw machine. 

“Their name is...Robbie Pike Cooper Knott the third,” Garrett says, hugging the plushie to his chest, “And I shall protect them with my life.”

“Oh wow, a nonbinary t-rex plushie, very cool,” Cal smiles, “Do I get to be their other parent, since I was the one who freed them from the claw machine prison?”

“Of course. My turn to win you one! Which one am I goin’ for?”

Cal points to a pink elephant, and Garrett nods. 

“Nice choice,” He lowers the claw slowly, a determined look on his face (Cal almost dies because of how cute it is), “Got it!”

Cal holds the elephant the same way that a mother would cradle her baby in her arms. “His name is Sunday.”

“Any particular reason?”

“You know that Song, Sunday Kind Of Love? It’s my mom’s favorite.”

“That song is so fuckin’ good, dude. I have a whole playlist of just songs with the same vibe as that one. Like, I Wanna Be Evil by Eartha Kitt, the Natalie Cole version of Orange Colored Sky, April in Paris by Ella Fitzgerald...actually, it’s mostly Ella Fitzgerald. My mom loved those songs.”

Cal smiles softly at him, and Garrett’s heart melts. 

They head over to the movie theater, and they’re the only ones there. Which is great, because it allows them to yell at the screen whenever Kenickie is on. 

“Literally fuck this dude,” Garrett says, “I mean, ‘did she put up a fight’ is such a creepy line. And he’s a dick to Rizzo for no reason.”

“Rizzo is problematic, but Kenickie is the worst.” Cal agrees.

“You and I are the presidents of the Kenickie hate club.” 

Cal laughs and reaches over to grab popcorn from the bucket on Garrett’s lap.


	3. Tell Me More, Tell Me More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Boys™ tell their friends about their crushes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one sucks ass but it's okay cuz I have better chapters planned

"Ladies, I have an issue." Cal says after Claire, Brianna, Taylor, and Sasha join the FaceTime.

"Who did you fall in love with this time?" Claire asks.

"Leave him alone, Claire Bear. Maybe it's something else." Sasha scolds her.

Cal sighs. "No, she's right."

Brianna giggles. 

"So who is it?" Taylor asks, pushing back her cuticles with her American Express credit card.

Cal pauses. "Garrett Laughlin."

"Oh my God," Claire sighs, "You hardly know the guy."

"I can explain! So basically he's in Florida too, with his uncle and we hung out yesterday and he took me to the arcade and won me an elephant from the claw machine-"

"You're rambling, sweetie." Sasha says.

"Sorry," Cal takes a deep breath, "He's really cute, okay?"

Brianna grabs her phone. "Let me pull up Insta, 'cause I forgot what he looks like."

They all wait. 

"Holy guacamole, he _is_ cute."

"Send me a screenshot," Sasha says, "I wanna see."

There's the _ping!_ sound of a text notification, and Sasha's FaceTime video screen pauses as she switches over to her messages. "Sweet rice cakes, he is sexy."

"Cal," Taylor sighs, "He's straight. Do not fall in love with him. Promise?"

A pause. "I'll try."

* * *

"Bramazon, thank God you picked up." Garrett says.

"Stop calling me that," Bram replies, "Also, it's two in the morning, Garrett, why are you calling?"

"Let's say, hypothetically, I had a crush on a guy."

"Wait, what?" 

"Shhh. Okay, so, in this hypothetical scenario, let's imagine that I've never had a crush on a guy before. I've never thought about guys the way that I do about girls."

"Who's this hypothetical guy?" Bram asks, and Garrett can _hear_ his smirk. "Sorry, don't tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine. It's uh. Cal Price."

"Oh God, Garrett, you hardly know him."

"I know, I know, shut up."

Bram does not, in fact, shut up. "When did this start?" 

"He and his dad are a few houses down from my uncle's, and we hung out today. He won me a t-rex from the claw machine, and we watched Grease at the movie theater, and we were the only ones in the theater, and we were yelling about Kenickie being an asshole, and he reached to grab popcorn and his arm brushed against mine and he's _really goddamn cute_ and-"

"You're rambling, Garrett." Bram says gently.

"Sorry."

"It's alright," Bram says, "Okay, so! You like Cal. So that means you like guys. Do you think you might be bi?"

"I don't think...that works for me?"

"You could be pan, then. Hang on, lemme send you a link to an explanation."

"Okay, got it, let me read."

"You don't have to put a label on it, yet."

Garrett shushes him.

"Fine, I'll shut up."

"Okay, I think pansexual is the best match..."

"I'm glad you figured this out."

"Thanks, dude." Garrett smiles.

"Anything for my best friend."

"Hmm. I think Cal might take your spot as my best friend."

"Oh? You've hung out with him _once_ and you're already replacing me?"

Garrett giggles. "Goodnight, Bram cracker."

"Goodnight, Garrett."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one was so short! the next chapter will be a long one, i promise!


	4. We Made Out Under The Dock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> GUYS ITS HAPPENING THEYRE GETTING TOGETHER OH MY GOD

"So, we can go bowling later if you want to," Garrett says as he pays for their ice cream, "The bowling alley is super fucking cool, I think you'd like it."

Cal's eyes light up. "I'd love that."

Oh God. Cal's eyes are...really pretty. Another thing about Garrett is that he _hates_ making eye contact. But he doesn't mind making eye contact with Cal. Cal's eyes are as deep as the ocean, and they're this gorgeous blue-green color. Garrett realizes that he's staring.

The bowling alley is very 80's. It has purple and blue LED lights around the walls, and that weird carpeting that has the same pattern as bus seats. 

"I want this carpeting in my future home." Garrett says as the two of them go to get their bowling shoes. 

"What size do ya need?" the girl behind the counter -Cherry, according to her nametag- asks. Garrett stares at her. She's very pretty. Cal snickers when he notices Garrett staring at her.

"Ask for her number," Cal says as he and Garrett are lacing up their shoes, "You're hot, she'll give it to you."

Garrett raises his eyebrows. "You think I'm hot?"

Cal blushes. "Shut up, you know you're hot."

Garrett grins and gives Cal finger guns and a wink. "Right back at ya." 

And the butterflies are back.

Fuck. 

Cal is, surprisingly, really good at bowling. 

"You really love the color blue, huh?" Garrett asks in an attempt to distract Cal. He motions to Cal's outfit, which is a blue NASA t-shirt, jeans, and blue Vans.

"Yeah, it's 'cause of Romeo and Juliet? Because my friends compare me to Juliet and the color associated with the Capulets is blue, so."

"You're such a nerd."

"Shut up. Also, nice try, your distraction didn't work."

And he knocks down all the pins.

"Fuckkkkk." Garrett groans.

Cal giggles. "Not my fault you suck at bowling."

"I'm going to murder you, I swear to God."

"Nooo!" Cal laughs, running away from Garrett. They run around for a bit, laughing, and then sink down to the floor, exhausted.

"Can't believe we've been hanging out all day," Garrett says, "You're really fun to be around, Price."

Cal smiles, scooting closer to Garrett. "Thank you."

Garrett rests his head on Cal's and hums.

Butterflies.

"What're you humming? Is it that song that you like? I Want To Be Evil by Eartha Kitt?"

"I can't believe you remembered I like that song." Garrett grins.

"I listened to it ten times yesterday," Cal admits, "It's really good."

Garrett's grin could light up an entire city. "Want to go to the arcade again? I bet I can beat your high score in Pac-Man."

"Oh, you're on."

* * *

They win a ton of plushies in the claw machine, Garrett beats Cal's Pac-Man high score, Garrett cheers Cal on as he plays Tetris, and they buy a shit ton of candy from the vending machine.

"Want to take pictures in the photo booth?" Garrett asks, and Cal nods.

The first picture is of Cal doing peace signs and Garrett sticking his tongue out. The second one is of Garrett putting bunny ears behind Cal's head. The third one is of them blowing kisses at the camera.

And then.

As the flash of the camera goes off for the fourth picture, Garrett kisses Cal's cheek.

The butterflies in Cal's stomach are more like elephants now.

"What was that for?" he asks, blushing.

"What, I can't kiss my best friend on the cheek?"

Cal rolls his eyes. "Uh huh. Okay."

They grab their photos and head out of the arcade. It's late at night, and it's surprisingly cold, for Florida. Cal shivers, and Garrett takes off his jacket, handing it to Cal.

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"It's alright, Price. I don't want you to be cold."

Fuck.

The jacket smells _really_ good. Like Old Spice and bubblegum and watermelon shampoo. 

"Thank you, Garrett."

"No problem."

They walk down the boardwalk, and then down to the beach, under the dock. 

"My mom used to take me down here all the time," Garrett says as he and Cal sit down on the sand. 

"You really miss her, huh?"

"Yeah. Y'know, I don't really talk about her a lot, but with you it's different. You're easy to talk to."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. God, you look hilarious in my jacket. It's ridiculously big on you."

"Well, duh. You're super tall and all, obviously your jacket is big on me."

Garrett smiles softly. "You're cute."

The butterflies- or elephants, rather- are driving Cal insane.

Fuck it.

"Do you...like guys? Cuz you called me hot earlier, and called me cute now. I mean, you're probably just complimenting me. I just. Um. Hate when I fall for a straight guy and they compliment me and they compliment me and I misread it-"

"Wait, you're falling for me?"

"...Shit," Cal gets up suddenly, taking off Garrett's jacket and throwing it at him, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm gonna go-"

Garrett stands up and grabs Cal's wrist. "Price. It's fine, I...I kind of have a crush on you, too?"

"What?"

"Yeah. I'm um...pansexual. I actually just figured that out? So."

Cal stares at him.

And then.

"Can I kiss you?" Cal whispers.

"Please." Garrett murmurs.

And then they're kissing. 

"Jesus," Garrett mutters, "You're good at this."

"Yeah?" Cal pants, out of breath. 

He looks really fucking good. Garrett had been running his hands through Cal's hair when they were kissing, so it's all messed up. His cheeks are flushed. 

"You're so fucking adorable." Garrett says, going in for another kiss. His hands slip into Cal's back pocket, pulling him closer. 

After a few more minutes of making out, Cal breaks away from the kiss. "I should head home. I'll call you?"

"Yeah, that would be rad," Garrett says, "G'night."

Cal gives Garrett a parting kiss, and then he's off, disappearing back into the bright lights of the boardwalk.

Garrett calls Bram.

"I kissed him." he says when Bram picks up.

"Who? Cal?"

"Yeah."

"No way. No freaking way."

"Yeah," Garrett grins, "It was...really good, ohmygod."

"So are you guys...a thing now, or what?" 

"I don't know, actually."

"Do you want to be?"

"I dunno."

"You'd better figure that out, dude."

"Yeah, alright. G'night, Bram."

"Goodnight, Garrett."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what did we think gang


	5. Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys hang out at a hotel in Miami Beach (no they don't do what you're thinking, shut up) and there's a little bit of drama

“What’s the plan for today?” Cal asks Garrett the next day, at breakfast. Garrett shrugs. 

“I don’t actually have anything planned...so.”

Cal grins. “Well, you’re in luck, because I do. Pack a bag with enough clothes for a couple days.”

“Where the hell are we going, Price?” Garrett asks, laughing.

“It’s a surprise.”

They end up on Miami Beach, at a boutique hotel called Palihouse. It’s got this nice 60’s aesthetic. There’s an old TV in the lobby that’s playing that old Beatles movie,  _ Yellow Submarine _ . Cal grins at the lady behind the front desk.

“Hi, Lisa!” he says.

“Hello, Mr. Price,” she grins, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you, I’m glad to have you back.”

She hands him a room key, and Garrett follows him up a staircase next to the bar, down a hallway, and into the hotel room.

It’s gorgeous.

Two queen beds, a little sixties-style light coral fridge, a small kitchen with a brown backsplash, coral walls, a royal blue couch, and a window that overlooks the pool. 

“Cal, what the fuck,” Garrett whispers, “How the hell did you-”

“My dad knows the owner,” Cal explains, “We used to stay here all the time. Anyway, I’ve planned our itinerary. We’re gonna go hang out by the pool, then walk around the beach for a while, grab lunch, go shopping, and then we’re going to meet up with a couple of my friends for dinner. That sound okay?”

Garrett nods slowly.

“Great!”

Cal is actually a great swimmer. He and Garrett race a couple of times before heading to the hot tub. It’s mid-afternoon, but there’s nobody but them in the pool. Garrett uses this to his advantage, sliding over to Cal and pressing a kiss onto his neck. Cal giggles, and Garrett shifts to kiss the underside of Cal’s jaw, and then his forehead, then the tip of his nose, then his cheek. Cal is a giddy mess, blushing and giggling the whole time. Garrett grins before kissing Cal lightly on the lips and pulling away.

Cal chases after him, sitting on Garrett’s lap, turned so that he can wrap his arms around Garrett’s neck and press their foreheads together. Cal kisses Garrett hungrily, and it’s disarmingly hot. Garrett has to bite back a moan.

Cal notices, and he laughs. “C’mon, we’ve been here for a while. Let’s walk on the beach.”

They dry off in their room, and they take turns showering. When Garrett steps out of the shower, he sees Cal lying on the bed closer to the window, flipping through channels on the TV. Which. It would be totally fine if Cal wasn’t naked from the waist up.

“Jesus, Price, put a shirt on.”

“I don’t see you complaining,” Cal grins, “Plus, I couldn’t decide which one I want to wear. Help me pick?”

He holds up two polos, a blue one and a yellow one. Garrett points to the blue one. “That one’ll bring out your eyes.” 

Cal smiles.

* * *

Cal seems to know every single restaurant hostess on the beach. As Cal and Garrett walk by, every one of them says "Hi, Cal!" Garrett raises his eyebrows, but Cal just grins and doesn't explain. They end up eating at a pizza place, and then Cal takes Garrett to a gelato place and pays for everything (despite Garrett's protests). 

"Okay, there's this nice bookstore that I think you'd like." Cal says, and Garrett shrugs.

"I'm not much of a reader-"

"Yeah, I guessed that. But I was talking to Simon yesterday, and he said that you, like, _love_ comics and graphic novels, and the bookstore is mostly a comics place. Also, they have a shit ton of Pop figures, and I really wanna buy some, so..."

Garrett is surprised. "You...asked to Simon about me?"

"I mean, yeah. I don't have Bram's number, so Simon was my next best bet. I wanted to know about things that you like so I could plan stuff for us to do..." Cal trails off, blushing, "Sorry, is that creepy?"

Garrett sputters. "N-no! It's really sweet! Uh, thanks, it was, like, super nice of you and...." Garrett trails off as well, not sure what to say. 

Cal flashes him a huge smile. "Okay, well, we should get going, then."

The bookstore is super cute, with white bookshelves and pastel accessories everywhere. Garrett heads straight to the comics section.

"Oh my God," he says, "They have the Lumberjanes comics!"

Cal watches as Garrett flips through the comics, his eyes lighting up. He looks a little bit like a kid at Disney World for the first time, his eyes the size of dinner plates and a huge smile on his face. Garrett buys a few comics and buys Cal a Hello Kitty Pop figure. They walk around a bit more, going to various stores. They end up buying a _ton_ of stuff, and Garrett offers to carry all of the bags.

"Shit," Cal says, looking at his watch, "We're not gonna be able to drop these off at the hotel if we want to be at the dinner place in time for our reservation." (Cal's friend Brianna is also in Miami, and the three of them are meeting up at this fancy hotel, the Fontainebleu, for dinner at the hotel's restaurant. It's super expensive, but Brianna is like, really rich, so she offered to pay the bill. Garrett feels a little bad about it, but he and Cal promised to make it up to her.)

"It's alright, I'll keep an eye on our stuff." Garrett says as Cal waves for a cab. 

Cal holds Garrett's hand the whole ride.

* * *

Cal still has Garrett's hand in his as they walk through the hotel's lobby and towards the restaurant. Brianna greets them when they arrive at the chairs near the hostess stand.

"Hi Cal, hi Garrett," she says, hugging both of them and kissing them on both cheeks, "You made it just in time." The waitress leads them to their table, a booth right next to the window, and takes their drink orders. Garrett scans the menu.

"Shit, dude, this place is _fancy_." he says, and Brianna laughs.

"If I were you, I'd just get shrimp scampi," she says, "In fact, it's big enough for the three of us to share."

"That's a good idea," Garrett nods, "Let's do that."

When the waitress comes back with their drinks, they put in the order and thank her as she walks away again.

"So," Brianna says, waggling her eyebrows, "What's the deal with you two? Are you dating, or..."

Cal is about to say something along the lines of "no, but I'd say we're pretty close to dating" when Garrett says:

"Nah, it's just like, a summer fling, y'know? I mean, I like Cal a lot, but I kinda want to go in to the new school year without being 'tied down' or whatever."

Oh.

Okay. Well.

That...stung. Cal frowns for a split second, but he catches himself and smiles. "Yep, just a fling."

He's holding back tears, practically.

Which is stupid, because hell, he doesn't _love_ the guy, or anything.

This is _Garrett Laughlin_ , for God's sake. Cal should've seen this coming.

But Garrett didn't mean that. Cal doesn't know this, of course, but Garrett thinks that Cal doesn't want to date him. He thinks Cal can do better than him.

Brianna, always observant, can _totally tell._ She excuses herself from the table.

**from: Brianna**

**to: Taylor**

garrett just said that he and cal are just a fling, but it's so obvious that they both really like each other

**from: Taylor**

**to: Brianna**

Garrett is stupid.

So is Cal, tbh but thats besides the point

I'll talk to Cal about it later

* * *

That night, Garrett and Cal end up on Cal's bed, half-watching HGTV, mostly making out. Garrett doesn't know how to feel.

There's only two weeks of summer left.

He doesn't want this to go away. But hey, he and Cal can still be friends, right? It's not a big deal.

Except. It _is_ a big deal. He wants to stay in this little bubble forever, with Cal. The cool night breeze drifting through the window, the light from the TV reflecting in Cal's eyes, the stars lighting up the night sky. Garrett wishes he could live in a little world where there's arcades and bowling alleys and beach houses and not a single thing to worry about. He wants to keep Cal in this perfect fantasy for the rest of their lives, but it'll only exist for two more weeks. 

_Two weeks,_ he thinks, _I guess I can make that work._

So he does.

For the next two weeks, he and Cal are practically attached at the hip. They spend lazy afternoons at the arcade, or at the Price's beach house, making out and cuddling and watching movies. They drink lemonade and eat ice cream on the boardwalk, they go to the movies, they listen to the _Grease_ soundtrack about a million times. It's perfect. It's a perfect, beautiful summer. It's a good thing. Hell, it's the _best_ thing.

But all good things come to an end. 

**END OF PART ONE.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaa sorry for not posting for a lil bit i hope you liked it


	6. It Turned Colder, That's Where It Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the summer ends, the fall musical is announced, and the first day of school is very eventful.

The drive back to Georgia is a long one.

Well. Not really, because Florida is right next to it, but. 

Cal barely says anything the whole ride. He just draws in his sketchpad, or reads  _ A Picture of Dorian Gray _ . He can’t even listen to music, because every song he hears reminds him of Garrett in one way or another.  _ A Teenager’s Romance _ just reminds him of their relationship-or, rather, their  _ fling _ .  _ Stupid Cupid _ physically pains him, because it’s just about Connie Francis being madly in love with this guy. He can’t listen to any showtunes, because he told Garrett about all of his favorite musicals, and now it hurts to listen to them. Not even One Direction can ease his pain.

His dad tries to engage him in conversation, asking him if he’s excited for school and the like, but Cal is disinterested.

That is, until his dad asks if he knows what the fall musical is going to be.

“Actually, I think Ms. Albright sent me an email about it,” Cal says, pulling out his phone from his backpack. He opens Gmail and scrolls through his inbox until he finds what he’s looking for. He stares at the email for a very long time.

“Something wrong?” his dad asks.

The Creekwood Fall Musical is none other than  _ Grease _ .

Fuck.

A few days later, Cal wakes up to the sound of his alarm clock and the smell of something burning. His eyes snap open and he rushes downstairs.

"Is something on fire?" he asks his dad as he enters the kitchen. Tom grins sheepishly.

"No, I just burned the pancakes."

Cal shakes his head, walking back upstairs. 

Before his parents got divorced and his mom hauled ass to New York, she would always wake Cal up on the first day of school. She used to buy him a first day of school outfit, and it always included a green shirt. 

"Gotta dress to impress," is what she'd say, in that thick Southern accent. His mom was a regular Southern Belle, before she moved to the Big Apple. She always wore dresses, pearls, heels, wide-brimmed straw hats, sometimes even pearls. She'd invite her friends over on the weekends for "book club meetings" which really meant that they were going to gossip for a few hours. She was raised to be a "proper young lady," and she taught Cal to be just as polite as she is. 

Cal can't help it, he grabs a light green button up and puts it on, tucking it into his jeans. He puts his stuff in his bag and heads downstairs, stopping in the kitchen. 

"Dad," he calls, "Are you working from home today?"

"Yeah, why?" his dad responds from somewhere upstairs.

"Can I take the car?"

Tom's head pops out of the stairwell. "Hmmm. I suppose. Why not?"

Cal grins. "Thanks, Dad."

He grabs the car keys from the counter, texting his friends to see if they need a ride to school as he walks to the garage. They respond almost immediately, all of them saying no except for Brianna. Cal texts back, saying he'll be over to her house in a few minutes.

Brianna must've been waiting by the door for Cal to pull up, because she's out to his car almost immeadiately.

"So," she says, sliding into her seat, "You excited for the musical? I can't believe auditions are like, next week."

Cal groans. "Don't even talk about it."

* * *

Garrett is late to English.

Mr. Wise frowns as Garrett takes his seat next to Bram.

"You're late, Mr. Laughlin."

"Sorry." Garrett grins sheepishly. 

Bram sighs, handing Garrett a book. He looks at the cover. _Romeo and Juliet_.

Mr. Wise explains that for their _Romeo and Juliet_ unit, they'll be watching movies based off of the story and drawing comparisons between the two. They'll also be focusing a lot on imagery, how colors can tell you a lot about the story, and how _Romeo and Juliet_ says a lot about how people's views tend to be shifted by the people they hang out with.

Simon raises his hand. "What movies will we be watching?"

Garrett makes a silent prayer to the Gods of English Class. He prays that Mr. Wise won't say _Grease_.

" _Gnomeo and Juliet,_ " Mr. Wise says, and most of the class cheers, " _Warm Bodies, West Side Story,_ and finally..."

Time seems to slow down.

" _Grease_."

Garrett groans internally. 

The class starts reading the first few pages of the book before the bell rings and it's time for lunch. Garrett walks with Bram and Simon to the cafeteria.

"Oh, hi, Garrett." Cal says as he falls into step with the three boys. 

"Hey, Price!" Garrett responds as they enter the cafeteria, "Do you wanna sit with us? I think Suso is sitting with the other cheerleaders today, so we have space."

Cal blinks, visibly surprised. "Uh, yeah, that'd be nice."

So Calvin Price is introduced to the chaos of Garrett's lunch table. Simon spends most of lunch talking about his current hyperfixation (Brian David Gilbert's Polygon videos), Anna and Nick talk about their favorite album releases of the summer, and Leah and Morgan have a heated debate over who's the best Sailor Scout. Garrett would expect Cal to be overwhelmed by all the noise, but miraculously, it doesn't seem to phase him at all.

It takes a while for anyone to notice that Cal is there, because they're all so wrapped up in their conversations. 

"Oh, hi, Cal!" Anna says, "I didn't know you were sitting with us."

"Garrett invited me." Cal responds.

"I didn't know you two were friends," Leah says, "When did _that_ happen?"

Garrett and Cal share a look.

"Um. Well, we ended up seeing each other on vacation, in Florida," Garrett explains, "And we started hanging out a lot."

"Oh." Anna says, turning back to Nick.

And just like that, the conversation is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating lmao i got really busy  
> i have the next few chapters planned so i should be posting them soon


End file.
